Kaspersky Lab Planning Managed Security Services Strategy

Kaspersky Lab, the fast-growing anti-virus software provider, is planning a managed services partner strategy that will likely surface within 30 to 60 days, according to Senior VP of Corporate Sales Nancy Reynolds. Kaspersky's move is part of a larger trend: Multiple anti-virus companies -- McAfee, Panda Security, Sophos, Symantec and Trend Micro -- are polishing their managed services strategies. Here's a sampling of where we're heading.

First, a little background on Reynolds. You may recall that she's held prominent channel positions at Dell, Trend Micro, Palo Alto Networks and Novell. Her move from Dell to Kaspersky was announced today.

Why did Reynolds jump to Kaspersky? Our sister site, The VAR Guy, captured this FastChat video interview with Reynolds. And further below: A look at how anti-virus companies hope to cash in on SaaS and managed services.

FastChat Video

The video covers:

0:00: Intro
0:10: What attracted Reynolds to Kaspersky Lab?
0:29: What makes Kaspersky Lab unique?
0:48: What's the state of Kaspersky Lab's North American partner program?
1:20: Reynolds' priorities for her first 100 days on the job
1:34: The Kaspersky Lab Partner Conference
1:45: Pushing from consumer into the SMB and enterprise space
2:05: Reynolds' channel experience
2:28: The upcoming managed services strategy
2:56: Conclusion

Managed Services Moves

Kaspersky Lab isn't the only anti-virus company making managed services moves. In recent months, anti-virus companies have been scrambling to sort out their managed services strategies. Among the moves worth watching...

Bottom line: Shrink wrap software sales are yesterday's news. MSPs are looking for service provider licensing models that offer economies of scale. All of the companies above are planning moves. When Kaspersky Lab's partner conference arrives in February 2010, I suspect we'll hear more about the company's emerging managed services strategy.